Epilogue

The raid on the weather factory by the royal guard was a success. Ten workers were killed in the fight. Many more were wounded. The royal guard however, also suffered casualties, they had lost five of their own. But it was worth it. The guard rescued one hundred pegasi from the factory. Shining armor himself opened the cells holding the captives.

guards lead arrested workers onto the yacht. An ambulance chariot was parked outside tending to the wounded. Shining armor was watching as the freed pegasi were being treated by a doctor.

"ya did good shining, ya did good." shining muttered to himself.

"SHINING ARMOR!" yelled a voice.

Shining turned and saw celestia herself flying towards him.

"princess!" said shining.

Celestia landed in front of him with an angry expression on her face.

"care to explain why you led an unauthorized raid on the weather factory using experimental technogy?" said celestia.

"your majesty-"

"wait!" yelled a voice

The two turned to see twilight and comet tail running towards them.

"we have evidence to justify my brother's actions!" yelled twilight.

The two stopped in front of celestia.

"what are you talking about?" asked celestia.

Comet tail levitated the documents out of his saddlebag and set them in front of celestia.

"the pegasi have been making rainbows using their youth for years." said comet tail.

Celestia looked over the documents in horror.

"all these pegasi...... It's.... It's all my fault." said celestia.

"it's not." said twilight. "you never knew they would-"

"I had forgotten how responsibility can change a pony, for better or for worse." said celestia.

Celestia looks at the factory, then back at the ponies.

"I guess it's time for me to reclaim the duties of rainbow production." said celestia. "now that Luna is in charge of the moon again, I can afford the responsibility."

Celestia looked at shining armor.

"I will let you pass this time shining armor." said celestia. "your causes were just."

Shining smiled at the news.

"thank you princess!" said shining.

"bro, where's applejack?" asked twilight.

"right here." said a voice.

Applejack approached them, wounded from her fight and carying rainbow dash's body on her back.

"princess." said applejack.

"what happened to rainbow dash?" asked twilight.

"ah had ta put her down." replied applejack. "she was mad with power, thought she was a god."

Twilight put a hoof on applejack's shoulder.

"it's ok." said twilight.

She pulled her friend into a comforting hug.

"it's ok...."

The train pulled into pony ville station where big Mac, caramel, and applebloom were waiting.

"aj!" yelled caramel.

The train reached a complete stop and applejack ran out of the train, her wounds bandaged.

"caramel!" yelled applejack.

Applejack have caramel a long hug.

"your alive!" said caramel.

"ah told ya I'd be back." said applejack.

Comet tail and twilight stepped off the train.

"we did it." said twilight.

Applebloom trotted over to twilight with a newspaper in her mouth.

"mmmmmfffffmmmmmmfffff"

Twilight levitated the paper out, allowing her to speak.

"spike and rarity did it!" said applebloom. "now ponyville will know the truth.

Twilight looked at the front page article.

Conspiracy in the weather factory!

"we should see how pinkie and fluttershy are takin the news." said applejack.

Twilight nodded and the two walked in the direction of sugarcube corner.

When the two entered the bakery, rarity was sitting at a table with a crying fluttershy while sounds of vomiting could be heard in the back.

"it's alright fluttershy." said rarity.

"it's not!" cried fluttershy. "all those poor sweet little pegasi!"

Rarity noticed twilight and applejack.

"your back!" said rarity.

twilight smiled.

"shining and his troops delt with the factory." said twilight. "celestia said that she is going to return to rainbow making duties, nopony has to die there anymore!"

Fluttershy gave a weak smile.

"thank celestia that nightmare is over." said fluttershy.

Pinkie walked in from the back, her face a shade of green.

"I can't believe I tasted that stuff!" said pinkie. "I'll never feel clean!"

"don't worry." said applejack. "mah super spicy apple tamales can clear your taste buds."

"and what of rainbow dash?" asked rarity.

Applejack paused for a minute before replying.

"she's in a better place now......"

The five elements of harmony looked down sadly at the floor.

Spike was helping rarity clean up the last of the carousel boutique mess.

"finally, all ship and shape." said rarity.

"took awhile though." said spike.

The door opened and twilight entered, her injuries fully healed.

"twilight!" said spike. "your all healed!"

"comet tail had a spell that fixed me right up." said twilight.

"he's a fine colt." said rarity.

"that's why I'm here." said twilight. "he asked me out, I need a dress to wear."

Rarity's eyes beamed with joy.

"of course darling!" said rarity. "I'll get started right away!" rarity ran upstairs to start planning twilight's dress.

At sweet apple acres, Apple bloom and sweetie belle Sat in the crusader clubhouse.

"she was dead all along." said sweetie belle.

"all this time...." said applebloom.

She looked at a drawing on the wall of them and scootaloo happy.

"sweetie belle, the time has come." said apple bloom.

"what?" asked sweetie belle.

"it's time we return to our quest to get our cutie marks!" said applebloom.

"but applebloom-"

"sweetie belle!" said applebloom. "scootaloo would want us to find our marks!"

Sweetie slowly smiled.

"your right!" said sweetie belle." for scootaloo!"

"for scootaloo!" said the two in unison.

The cutie mark crusaders were back in business.

Meanwhile in ponyville, applejack sat in the center of town looking into the town's water fountain.

"ah guess it had to be done." muttered applejack.

"applejack." said a voice.

She turned to see caramel approach her with a saddlebag on his back.

"caramel?" said applejack.

"all these events got me thinking" said caramel. "I almost lost you aj."

Caramel reached into his bag and took out a small wooden box.

"I don't want to loose you again." said caramel

Caramel opened the box, revealing an engagement earring with an ruby cut to look like an apple in it.

"caramel?....." said applejack, trying to process what was happening.

"will you marry me?" asked caramel.

Years started to form in applejack's eyes.

"yes! Of course I will!" said applejack smiling.

She ran to caramel and gave him a long hug. Within the past two days applejack had lost her best friend, but gained a fiancé.

TEN YEARS LATER.

The weather factory stood tall, gone was the facility that once created fear and terror. In its place was a storage area. The rainbows that celestia created were more vibrant that any the pegasi could have created.

At sweet apple acres a small rust orange filly with a brown mane and a green bow looked happily at a vibrant rainbow.

"it's beautiful." said the filly known as apple treat.

"apple treat!" said a voice.

An older applejack and caramel approached the filly.

"mommy daddy! Look at the rainbow!" said apple treat.

Caramel and applejack smiled.

"it's mighty pretty." said applejack. "now come in sweetie. Aunt twilight and uncle comet are waiting at sugarcube corner."

As the three trotted away, applejack thought about the events that occurred ten years ago and how they changed her life.

The nightmare was finally over.

The end.